AMSURG Town Hall Engages Partners in Procedure Room Leadership

August 9, 2016

AMSURG held its first virtual Town Hall for physician leaders focused on collaboration and quality improvement. The Ophthalmology division of AMSURG, along with the Ophthalmology Physician Advisory Board, hosted the event, which was held live at the company’s Nashville headquarters and streamed via the web for online participants.

“We were gratified that so many of our Medical Directors and physician leaders took the time to join us for the very first virtual Town Hall meeting,” said John Grant, ophthalmology division president. “The feedback has been gratifying, with many of our partners wanting to share this information with their partners and staff.”

The Town Hall featured presentations by Kathy Wilson, vice president, quality, clinical services and Dr. Gerald Maccioli, chief quality officer, in which they presented recent data and discussed how physician and staff engagement in the clinical processes of ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) can drive quality improvement initiatives and ensure patient safety.

“A culture of safety doesn’t exist without leadership,” Maccioli said “and that leadership must start with the physician.”

Wilson introduced various tools that AMSURG has made available to partners via its secure communications portal, Partner Connect. These tools will help physicians and center staff to standardize processes that impact patient safety. It is AMSURG’s goal to provide the best quality patient outcomes, and this module is an example of that focus.

Following the presentations, physician partners were invited to participate in a discussion and share ideas for leading time outs before procedures. “It is incumbent on every surgeon to grasp that they have to be the leader in the room and impress the principles of a culture of safety upon their staff,” said Dr. David Rowell, of Salem Eye Surgery Center, Salem, Ore. and member of the Ophthalmology Physician Advisory Board.

AMSURG plans to provide more real-time opportunities to engage its physician partners.

AMSURG partners and centers can click here to access the recording of the meeting.